Lawson singer meets doc who saved his life

Thousands salute Walton brain surgeon at arena gig

IT'S not many doctors who can say they've had a hit chart group named after them – well, apart from Doctor Who - or that thousands of hyped up fans have feted them onstage.

But both happened to Liverpool brain surgeon David Lawson at the weekend when pop band, Lawson, yes Lawson, came to town.

Andy Brown, Lawson's lead singer, owes his life to the Walton Centre neurosurgeon and his team. The 26-year-old was treated by the NHS Trust unit in 2007 for a rare brain tumour.

Mobbed

On Saturday he was reunited with Mr Lawson and it was the band's turn to say a big thank you when they turned up at the unit ahead of their gig at the Echo Arena.

Lawson, who have had four top ten hits including Brokenhearted and Standing in the Dark, spent several hours at the hospital where they met with patients and staff and were mobbed by visitors for pictures and autographs.

Brown said: “Mr Lawson is incredible. He’s always been an inspiration; he’s great with words and made me feel so at ease when he talked me through the operation and everything he was going to be doing. I was in for a good couple of months, I had my 20th birthday in here and I remember the staff let me go home for the night to watch Liverpool in the Champions League final on TV.”

He added: “To come home and headline your home town arena is a special feeling. Inviting Dr Lawson on stage was a dream come true. He's the reason I'm here.”

Later that night Mr Lawson swapped theatre for the stage of the Echo Arena as thousands of fans who chanted his name. Or was it the band's name?

Lawson meets LawsonWhatever, Lawson told the crowd their story adding “we owe him everything” and saying he was their “inspiration”. It even led to a social media storm as #thankyoumrlawson was trending on twitter.

Lawson had turned down the chance to appear at half time in the club’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Anfield to visit the Trust.

Mr Lawson said: “Meeting the band, and seeing their exuberance at the success of the evening, underlined the fact that sometimes you must believe in yourself enough to simply go for it, no matter what others might advise, and Andy has certainly done that.

“Whenever I see their name or star-spangled publicity, I think ‘good for them’, – it’s their creative talent that’s being rewarded and they deserve it.”

Next time: Nigella Lawson meets The Stranglers.

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